Negative reduction woe

[Ulophot]

I had to reduce a few 4x5 negs from a portrait session that I was obliged to shoot without a meter. I used Ansel Adams's 2-solution approach. The dried negs have little flecks of something randomly embedded in them which is going to make spotting a real chore. Other negs from the same developing batch that were not subsequently reduced are fine.

It's possible that I failed to use distilled water for the two baths, though our own water is usually pretty good. After reduction, per Adams, the negs were freshly fixed for a couple of minutes (Ilford rapid fix), washed, and soaked in distilled water with Photoflo.

I'll certainly use distilled in the future, should the need arise again. But is there something in the simple reduction chemistry (bath one ferricyanide, bath two, sodium thiosulphate) that might exacerbate something in the town water to cause this problem?

Thanks.

[Jim Noel]

could they be small flecks of thiosulfate? If it was dissolved at or near room temperature it is possible some small pieces dd not dissolve.

[kodabromide]

Reads like it might be a 'hard' water result. Hard water stains/spots are difficult to deal with.
Ya might try and a re soak and rewash.
Good luck with it.

[Ulophot]

Thanks. Maybe it was the thiosulfate; I think the water was about 85 F. I thought I recalled this as the standard fixer mixing temp from years before I started using liquid rapid fix. Live and learn.

I did try a fresh soak in a distilled water bath with a few drops of Photoflo, and gentle wiping with a PEC pad, both sides, then a resoak in fresh distilled and Photoflo. Unforutnately, it was of little help. It seemed to be removing some, but the same oness showed back up again after the film had dried.

[reddesert]

Treat with hypo clear and rewash? I have no experience with this problem, but hypo clear is intended to transform thiosulfate into a more easily dissolved ion ...

[Bill Burk]

If the specks make white spots on the prints feat not, retouching them will be not be too hard.

[Ulophot]

reddesrt, interesting thought. Should have thought of it myself. I give it a try and post back.

[Ulophot]

For anyone interested, the Permawash made no change; whatever the embedded specs, they are evidently something else, and the print-finishing road ahead will be traveled with my trusty 0 spotting brush. Onwards.